Should the BioNTech Vaccine Be Used During Pregnancy? Is It Effective?

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide have been infected with SAR-CoV-2(the novel coronavirus), which causes Covid-19, and millions have died from the disease. Currently, Covid-19 vaccines are the leading approaches in the fight against the progression of the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. The most effective vaccines available are mRNA vaccines (BioNTech and Moderna vaccines). As the number of people receiving mRNA Covid-19 vaccines worldwide has grown, observational data have provided an opportunity to assess their real-world effectiveness and safety. However, phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the safety and effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines, particularly mRNA vaccines such as BioNTech, did not include pregnant women, severe Covid-19 and potentially adverse pregnancy outcomes being risks they faced. Unfortunately, information on vaccine effectiveness among pregnant women was limited until recently. For this reason, many pregnant women worldwide and in Turkey hesitate to receive a coronavirus vaccine. Meanwhile, many pregnant women have contracted Covid-19 and experienced adverse outcomes, and continue to do so.

The Effect of the BioNTech Vaccine on the Immune System During Pregnancy

The immune system is known to undergo changes during pregnancy. For example, evidence suggests that CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte levels and some inflammatory cytokine levels decrease during this period. As mRNA-based vaccines are a new technology that has not been widely tested in pregnant women, the immune response they trigger in pregnant women is thought to potentially differ from that in the general population. This increases the need to evaluate vaccine effectiveness specifically in pregnant people.

The Safety and Effectiveness of the BioNTech Vaccine in Pregnant Women

The results of a large observational study of pregnant women aged 16 and older, conducted between December 20, 2020 and June 3, 2021, were published in Nature Medicine. Vaccine effectiveness was estimated by monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection, symptomatic Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations due to Covid-19, severe Covid-19 and Covid-19-related deaths.

The study showed that the BioNTech mRNA Covid-19 vaccine was as effective for pregnant women as for other people in the general population. The researchers also said: “Our findings showed that vaccine effectiveness estimated in the general population for future variants, particularly for mRNA-based vaccines, could be used to understand effectiveness against the same variants in pregnant women”.

Another study also suggests that vaccination during pregnancy may help protect newborn babies. Binding and neutralizing antibodies were found in the cord blood and breast milk of mothers who had received an mRNA vaccine. Another study reported that vaccination of breastfeeding mothers led to a rapid rise in anti-SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in breast milk. The magnitude and duration of this potential protection are not yet known.

Conclusion

The observational study found the BioNTech mRNA Covid-19 vaccine to be highly effective in pregnant women, with vaccine effectiveness similar to that estimated in the general population, including against the variants predominant in Israel during the study. However, further studies are still needed to better understand and characterize the dynamics of vaccine effectiveness throughout pregnancy, the relationship between vaccination timing and infant protection after birth, and pregnancy-related or unrelated safety outcomes.

High vaccine effectiveness has also previously been reported as an important factor in encouraging pregnant women to receive Covid-19 vaccines. If vaccine effectiveness exceeded 90%, 52% of pregnant women said they would be willing to receive the vaccine. The study's estimate of high vaccine effectiveness in pregnant women also highlighted its potential to increase vaccine acceptance rates in this population.

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RELATED TOPICS

• Covid-19: Current Statistics for the World and Turkey
• Latest News and Scientific Developments on Coronavirus

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